Cheater Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles (pronounced chee-lah-kee-less) is comfort food for most Mexicans. It was what your mom made you for breakfast when she had some leftover tortillas that needed to be used up before they went completely stale. The dish is basically made by cutting corn tortillas into quarters and lightly frying them. Then green or red salsa is poured over the fried tortillas and they’re simmered until they begin to soften, after which they’re sprinkled with cheese. They’re often served with eggs and beans on the side.

One of my co-workers who’s Mexican taught me how to make what I dubbed her “Cheater Chilaquiles.” I named them that because her version uses purchased tortilla chips and that’s cheating! LOL!  It’s actually an incredibly easy recipe without all the steps to it that traditional chilaquiles has. Yet for all its simplicity, I must say this dish is absolutely delicious! My Old Goat Honey sure loves it. In fact, everyone who’s tried it loves it and I always get asked for the recipe.

CHEATER CHILAQUILES

• 8 ozs. tortilla chips
• 1 lb. bulk breakfast sausage
• 1 large can (28 ozs.) mild green chile enchilada sauce
• 1 can (10 ozs.) Ro-Tel diced tomatoes & green chilies, undrained
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (or any kind of cheese you like)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Pour tortilla chips into a 9×13 baking dish.
3. In a small saucepan, brown the sausage and drain well.
4. Add enchilada sauce and Ro-Tel to cooked sausage and mix well.
5. Pour sausage mixture over tortilla chips.
6. Top with cheese.
7. Bake until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
8. Serve with fried eggs and a side of beans.

NOTE:  If you want, you could puree the Ro-Tel in a blender before stirring it into the sauce. That’s actually what my co-worker did, but I was too lazy to pull out my blender the first time I made it and Old Goat loved it with the little chunks of tomato so I’ve made it this way ever since! You could also add chopped onions, diced bell pepper, sliced jalapeños, a small can of diced green chiles, or whatever veggies you want to the sauce. By the way, I usually sprinkle some crumbled Mexican “queso fresco” cheese like panela or cotija on top of the shredded cheese before I bake it. I think it adds an extra oomph! Or should I say “olé!”

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Warm Cheesy Salsa Dip

It’s Super Bowl weekend this weekend! My Old Goat can hardly wait. His favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers, are playing. He’s going to be glued to the TV all day so I’ve planned a few appetizers and tailgate party dishes for him to nosh on while he enjoys the game.

I learned to make this recipe from my sister, Helen, who is a great cook and an amazing hostess. She was living in Ohio and during one of our frequent phone calls, she told me about this recipe that was perfect for football parties. I decided to give it a try and have been making it for Superbowl Sunday ever since. Not only is it deliciously addicting, but it’s super easy to prepare. All it takes is three ingredients. Now what could be simpler than that?

WARM CHEESY SALSA DIP

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 large jar (24 oz.) of your favorite chunky salsa (I used Pace Chunky Salsa)
• 1 box (1 lb.) of Velveeta cheese

1. In a small saucepan, brown the ground beef and drain off the fat.
2. Stir in the whole jar of salsa. You can use mild, medium or hot depending on how spicy you want it.
3. Cut the cheese into cubes and add it to the beef and salsa mixture.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is completely melted.
5. Transfer mixture to a small crockpot and set on Warm.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.